Manufacture of normal butyl alcohol



Dec. 15, 1925` F. BOINOT MANUFACTURE OF NORMAL BUTYL ALCOHOL Filed April 14, 1924 Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITI-:Dl STATES" PATENT loFFlcl-z.

FIRMIN BOINOT, OF MELLE, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO COMMERCIAL SOLVENTS COR- PORATION, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

MANUFACTURE OF NORMAL BUTYL ALCOHOL.

Application mea Apri; '14, 1924. lserial No. 706,310.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FIRMIN BorNo'r, a.

citizen o f the French Republic, and residing at Distilleries des Deux-Sevres, Melle, Deux- 5 Sevres, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to the Manufacture ofl Normal Butyl Alcohol, of

' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture l of normal butyl alcohol by bacteriological fermentation. It is known that when carbohydrates are submitted to a butyl-acetoner Afermentation by means lof bacteria of the butyric type, they are split up and give-rise l to gaseous products vwhich are principally carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and to .liquid products consisting mainly of normal/butyl alcohol and acetone; These two lastenamed bodies in a normal fermentation always occurin proportions which are substantially constant, and in the neighbourhood of two parts of butyl alchohoLto one part of-Hac'etone. Ilhe present inventor has endeavoured to modify the proportions of the liquid bodies obtained in such fermentation. He has found that when lactates of an alkali or alkaline earth metal, e. g., sodium and calcium are added to the carbohydrate mash, either l0 before or during 'the course of fermentation, the salts so added give riselto the formation of butyl alcohol without any appreciable production of acetone.' This fact therefore furnishes a simple and practical means of increasing the proportion of butyl alcohol during industrial manufacture.

The invention; consists in combining carbo'-v hydrate mashes undergoing butyl-acetone 'fermentation with lactates or lactate mashes,'

"0 so that in the final product the proportion of butyl alcohol to acetone is increased.

The part of the mash which consists ofcarbohydrates gives rise to butyl alcohol and acetone, while the part which consists of lac- -tates gives rise to the production of butyl alcohol. For this purpose lactates can be.,

employed as follows (1) In the state of lactic mashes, obtained by the fermentation of carbohydrates" by lactic ferments. (2) In the state of Solid salts, particularly those of sodium and calcium obtained by any suitable process. t v (3) In the state of solutions of such salts.

In carrying out this invention in one form by way of example, and referring to the ,accompanying drawing, representing a suitable arrangement of apparatus, a lactate containing mash is prepared as follows the property of fermenting energetically in a very 'acid medium, e. g;, a very active culture of Bacillus Bulgam'cus may lbe used after isolation from the micro-organims usually found in yoghourt (Bulgarian clotted milk) or leben, Egyptian clotted milk) the isolation being `carried out in accordance with 'known bacteriological practice. The acidity is allowed to grow with the fermentation\up to 20 grs. per litre expressed 'as lactic acid. When this point is reached, beetroot juice, either sterilized or non-sterilized, and containing to 199 grs. of sugar per litre, is introduced into the mash from the pipe a. This juice has previously been subjected to. an addition of sodium or calcium carbonate in the amount required to prevent the acidity in the vat A from rising above 20 grs. per litre. The fermenting mash in vatA is constantly carried away through the pipe l), and through it 300 litres of mash are successively charged into 'the' finishing tanks B in twenty-four hours. The j fermentation is com leted in these tanks.

The next step, a ter the fermentation is completed, is to neutralize the acidity com-jV pletelywith sodium or calcium carbonate. The mash is next heated to 80 C. in order to destroy the lactic ferments, and an additionis 'made of from 300 to 400 litres of ordinary cold water to bring the temperature back to a suitable degree, and at the same time in order to have, a mash which will contain about 4% of lactates, which is found to be the best concentration for use as described below. In this way, therefore, from 600 to 700 litres of lactic acid mash are produced everyftwenty-four hours.

-The conversion of the lactate in one example is carried out as follows In a vat C is a-'carbohydrate mash which has been brought into butyl-acetone fermentation by known methods. To 1,000 litres of this mash are added 1,000 litres of lactate mash obtained as described above, the addition taking place through a pipe c, and at the rate of 500 litres in twenty-four hours. This addition is commenced when the butylacetone fermentation of the carbohydrates has been effected to the extent of about 30 per cent. The lactate is transformed into butyl alcohol under the influence of the butyl-acetone fermentation in this vat. The respective quantitiesl of liquid products of fermentation so Obtained are about 16% of acetone and 84% ofbutyl alcohol.

This example is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention, and is given by way of indicating the general na.- ture of the operations.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. A process for the production of butyl alcohol, consisting in bringing together care bohydrate mashes undergoing butyl-acetone fermentation, and a lactic mash, so that the Maaate carbohydrate mash undergoing butyl-ace- E tone fermentation whereby. the ratio of butyl alcohol to acetone in the resulting mash is increased.

4. ln the process for producing but l Y alcohol from a ferment-able carbohydra e mashv the step which consists in adding a lactate to said mash.

5. ln the process for producing butyl alcohol from an inoculated fermentable car-s bohydrate mash the step which consists in adding a lactate to said mash after the fermentation has commenced.

ln testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification.

l FXRMIN lBOllNT. [las] 

